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Italian football giants Juventus are undoubtedly one of the most iconic brands in the world of sport. Having won 36 titles, 14 domestic and 9 continental cups, I Bianconeri have a history that stretches back over 120 years and are currently ranked as the fourth biggest club in the world according to Fifa’s coefficient rankings.
The club also broke headlines in 2019 when it was announced Juventus had signed an exclusive partnership with Konami and their Pro Evolution Soccer (now known as ‘eFootball’) series. However, with that deal coming to an end in 2023 and EA keen to flex their muscles in the gaming space, Gamelevate takes you through whether we could see Juventus snared back into the world of Fifa ahead of the next edition.
Why Juventus Became ‘Piemonte Calcio’
In 2019, it was announced that Konami had signed an exclusive deal with Juventus ahead of the then-upcoming release of the latest Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). This was far from the first time in which Konami had signed a licensing deal with one of Europe’s biggest clubs, but what made it so groundbreaking was the ramifications it had on EA and their Fifa series, who would lose out on using Juventus’ name, badge, stadium, and kits.
The Juventus squad (including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, and Leonardo Bonucci) all remained in the game, with EA creating an entirely new side known as ‘Piemonte Calcio’ from Fifa 20 to Fifa 22.
What’s Changed?
With Konami’s exclusive deal with Juventus coming to an end, the door is, in theory, open to the Italian giants returning to the Fifa series.
Fifa 23 is the last scheduled game in the series before EA move to their all-new rebranded EA Sports FC, so bagging back the Italian giants is sure to be a good PR move for the company.
At the time, Konami’s statement signing of the most successful side in Italian football looked like a big power move, and possibly the first domino to fall as PES looked to usurp Fifa as the dominant football simulator. That never really happened (the botch job that was the release of eFootball 2021 saw to that), and the only ramification the move had on the Fifa series was making all things Serie A look a bit tinpot for a bit.
The Future Of The Fifa Series
Speaking about losing their license and ending their long relationship with FIFA, EA Sports general manager, Cam Weber had this to say:
“After nearly 30 years of creating genre-defining interactive football experiences, we will soon begin an exciting new era.
“Next year, EA Sports FC will become the future of football from EA Sports. Alongside our 300+ license partners across the sport, we’re ready to take global football experiences to new heights, on behalf of all football fans around the world.”
Very little in regards to the gameplay or features are expected to change from 2023 onwards, but the move does potentially represent where the growing shift in power currently lays between real-world sports organizations and virtual gaming bodies.
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